Tag / klang parade

Stinky tofu (臭豆腐) is one of those delicacy that probably make certain Westerners think we are savages from the 3rd world, but truth is, these stuff are just as sophisticated as blue cheese, beer, and that Scandinavian fish that’s berried in the ground before consumption (OK maybe not that one)

stinky tofu stall at Pasar Malam Meru

In any case, most of these food shares a similar crucial step in their preparation – the magical process of fermentation. Through this method, bacteria releases certain type of byproducts that gives birth to the unique smell and taste which some of us learn to appreciate.

For those who lives at Klang or Shah Alam, perhaps one of the closest place to sample a good dish of stinky tofu would be at the Thursday night pasar malam at Meru, located just across the road from Klang Parade.

the stinkier the better, right?

The stinky tofu truck is almost always with a queue so you do have to be slightly patient to wait before your portion of piping hot deep fried stinky tofu is served. The taste of the tofu is really pungent and mixes well with those sourish pickled cabbage.

freshly fried, super stinky, yummy!

So if you’re a fan of stinky tofu, this is one to check out, besides, this very same pasar malam also has a pretty decent spread of other hawker delights – including salted chicken, popiah, lok lok, and char kuih teow.

When I was sharing the news of Ah Tao’s demise (RIP) with Zess over Chinese New Year, our Klang ahbeng who’s well versed with everything bak kut teh then mentioned that perhaps I should check out Hon Ki, a bak kut teh outlet that also makes a habit of adding seafood to the old fashion Klang dish, as his sister had good experience with it. So I did.

Hon Ki Seafood Bak Kut Teh, YY is pleased

Hon Ki is a second generation bak kut teh eatery that has been in operation for over two decades, according to the proprietor, they have been serving seafood bak kut teh even during his dad’s time, so this is definitely not one of those “me too” sort of place that tries to jump on any bandwagon.

Situated at Persiaran Pulau Pinang (what a coincident for a Penangite) just opposite Klang Parade across Jalan Meru, the restaurant is converted from a corner lot terrace house with zinc roof, a basic set up that is sufficient and rather typical of Klang BKT scene.

The bak kut teh here comes in clay pots, choose the meat of your choice and you can have it dry, with soup, and of course, with a number of different seafood options to add on, such as fish fillets, prawns, abalone slices, or flower crab. Unfortunately, lala or kappa isn’t an option here.

prawn? crab? pork? why not all?

Like other bak kut teh with seafood, the soup at Hon Ki very spicy as well, and this is done with loads of red chili padi, which I found slightly more convenient not accidentally chew one down, it also has a slightly different aroma and hotter compared to the green type. The additional complexity from seafood does give the bak kut teh an extra dimension, I love it.

Kerol was quite satisfied with the bkt lunch

Expect to pay about RM 40+ for two person if you have 1.5 portion of pork with seafood in it, flower crab gives the soup a stronger taste, while prawns were much less messy to eat. Try it!

Let’s get back on the project of trying as many bak kut teh as possible in the birth land of this amazing dish – Klang. Today we take a look at one of the small guys – an unassuming small corner restaurant near Klang Parade by the name of Restoran Xin Lai Hing.

Xin Lai Hing bak kut teh, near Klang Parade

We chanced upon this relative newcomer to the bkt scene in Klang while visiting one of our regular Vietnamese kopitiam at the area and thought to give it a try. Interestingly, in addition to bak kut teh, they actually also serve a small selection of Vietnamese dishes here, though we did not have an opportunity to sample those.

kahwan and intestine for 1.5 portion

For the two of us, we ordered a 1.5 portion of clay pot bak kut teh with a mixture of kahwan (around the ankle) and intestine. The dish comes with piping hot soup that is pretty strong in herbal aroma with a slight bitter note which I find quite pleasing. There isn’t much peppery note which may or may not suit individual taste but I do find it pretty good.

The meat is probably softer and more tender than most I had, and you can definitely cut it with a spoon, quite delightful as the fatty bit melts in your mouth. I also like the fact that the small intestine is stuffed with even more intestine, perfect for offal lovers.

There’s some tofu skin and a bit of tofu pok as well as few leaves of fresh vege in the soup, enough to give it a false sense of balanced meal, who cares?

stuffed intestine is good, the meat super tender as well

If you’re up to some really soft and tender pork, this is one that won’t disappoint.

Last week week while driving around exploring places for dinner around Klang Parade surrounding, we chanced upon a newly opened Thai restaurant by the name of Mae Porn Tom Yum Goong located just by the road next to the mall, and since Thai cuisine has always been one of our favorites, we went in to take a look.

Mae Porn Tom Yum Goong, next to Klang Parade

On first look I already have a positive feeling about the place. The almost-kopitiam style restaurant is air conditioned, clean, and with the parts of the walls filled with racks of Thai groceries. There were also staffs happily chatting in Thai language. Unlike Japanese restaurants with local staffs greeting you in the only line of Japanese language they know, over here they use Thai as their native language to communicate, not to give you a false sense of authenticity.

Anyway, the “menu” they have is a bunch of photos on the wall (look below), with many dishes cater to individuals, but there are also those for sharing. Each priced at between RM 6-8, great value for money even for Klang.

We’ve visited this place twice now and came away really satisfied.

For salads we’ve tried yam leb meu nang (chicken feet salad, RM 7), nam tuk (pork salad, RM 7), and yam goong (prawn salad, RM 8). Strong seasoning and definitely appetite opening, they go well with rice as well. The only “issue” we may have is that the chicken feet were cut in bigger chunks than what we’re used to so that took a bit of getting used to.

tom yam, kuey chap, moo ping (grilled pork satey)

The tom yam goong (RM 8) may not have big prawns or loaded with big chunks of seafood but certainly tasted every bit a bowl of authentic tomyam should.

We also tried their kuey chap (RM 7) and opted with no noodle since we had it with rice, the pork was tender and of course they also serve coagulated pork blood, a definite plus.

We’re certainly going to be back for more, the second trip already seen the place being filled pretty good with customers, I think it’s here to stay. Give it a try if you love some good authentic Thai food that also serves pork. Other alternatives are Go Thai SS2, Lai Thai seksyen 17 (changed name since), and Surasit TTDI.

In my previous-previous job many years ago, I used to travel quite a bit to Ho Chi Minh City for work, and aside from the hospitality of the people there, the one thing I always looked forward to was some good old fashion Vietnamese street food.

Their dishes take advantage of ingredients not entirely unlike Chinese or Thai cuisine, but with the result that is completely different. Unlike Thai or Malay food which often rely on chili, Vietnamese creations often feature plenty of fresh vegetable, and instead of soya sauce in Chinese food, fish sauce seems to be their go-to choice as seasoning.

Quan An Viet, near Klang Parade

While Vietnamese food has some presence here in Malaysia, they are mostly chain restaurants offering pho, a few rice dishes, and nothing else, so imagine the surprise when we saw this little kopitiam manned with Vietnamese with thick accents offering proper Vietnamese street food right at Klang.

In fact, the little area between Klang Parade and Taman Eng Ann seems to have a small Vietnamese community living around the area, complete with shops carrying Vietnamese groceries.

bún bò, bún riêu, gỏi xoài

Quan An Viet offers some 20 different simple dishes, from beef noodle to duck noodle, spring roles to rice dishes, and they’re all priced at less than RM 10.

We first had the bun bo, or rice vermicelli and beef, a dish that’s similar to pho but with slightly different soup base and vegetable reflecting it’s origin in Hue instead of Saigon. It was pretty delicious, though I’d love to see tripes, brisket, or tendon in it instead of just beef slices.

Bun rieu is something new to me, a sort of tomato broth with crab/shrimp paste filled with pork leg, coagulated blood, and vermicelli noodle. Quite an interesting taste but it is something that takes a bit of getting used to.

Goi xoai is their version of green mango salad with some sort of rice sheets. To be honest I didn’t like it, the Thai version is still much superior. Perhaps those in Vietnam is better executed than here.

bánh mì, cơm sườn

Bánh mì is a Vietnamese term for bread, a dish that is introduced by French during its colonial period. While the filling tastes pretty good, the quality of bread here isn’t really up to par.

The other dish I tried was the Vietnamese Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop, and sadly it was kinda disappointing. The pork chop was too dry and generally lack any umph.

KY & Haze at one of our favorite Vietnamese kopitiam

I would say the spring roles & noodle dishes here are definitely up to par, and for the price you pay, this place definitely offer great value for money. Will definitely head back again for other dishes.